Football players gut through bumps and sprains all the time.
But rarely does a player have the fortitude to fight through the pain — and decreased mobility — of a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). An ACL injury can be one of the most painful in sports and almost always requires surgery and intense rehab to get the knee working again.
Logan Mankins reportedly did just that, though, playing on a messed-up knee not just for a game or two but rather for the entire 2011 season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Mankins tore his ACL in the opening game of last year's season, a Monday night matchup against the Dolphins, Schefter reports. He then played the entire season before ripping the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee during the playoffs.
In the Super Bowl, Mankins played with torn ligaments in both knees.
Mankins, who is entering his eighth year with the Patriots, had offseason surgery on his torn ACL.
